Marine craft such as recreational sailboats, outboard and inboard powerboats, fishing party boats and the like have limited storage space for emergency equipment such as life jackets, flotation devices and the like. Although regulations require that such equipment be carried on board it is often stored in areas that are not readily accessible and in the event of an emergency precious time is lost in reaching the emergency equipment.
Normally such boats include a cockpit area for the operator and passengers and normally have limited deck space. In many cases the cockpit is covered by a canopy which consists of a hard or soft top carried by a suitable frame member that is attached to the boat. These covers are often referred to as bimini covers or hardtops. The cockpit cover may overlie only a portion of or the entire cockpit area and they are normally raised sufficiently high above the cockpit to permit the occupants to stand upright underneath the cover.
Storage space on small boats is limited and often consists of a relatively limited glove box storage area and, depending upon the type of boat, an under the bow storage area. Thus storage space is at a premium. It is a requirement that life jackets be carried on board for occupants of the boat. With the limited storage space available on small craft, the life jackets are often stowed in areas such as under the bow or under the lounge seating or in some cases lying loose in the passenger compartment. Often due to their storage location the life jackets may not be readily accessible in the event of an emergency and depending on how they are stowed the life jackets can become soiled or damaged. Normally other types of flotation devices such as a raft or similar flotation device which are useful in keeping passengers and crew together in the event of an emergency are not carried on the small recreational type craft. Other small items such as small emergency radios, flares, first aid kits and other personal items such as sunscreen and the like that may be carried on board also can present a storage problem.
Various solutions to storage problems have been proposed. For example a life preserver storage unit that doubles as a seat is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,805,430. An overhead storage bag is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,993. However, the overhead storage bag comprises a series of storage pockets that are too small for life jacket storage and furthermore the storage unit is not suitable for use as a flotation device in the event of an emergency.
The safety storage system comprises a generally rectangular storage unit having a facing section and a corresponding rear section joined along their longitudinal and lateral edges to define an interior between the joined sections. The facing section is provided with an opening that runs substantially the length of the section for access to the interior of the storage bag. A panel secured at one end to the storage unit overlies the opening for opening and closing the unit. The panel is provided with suitable closure means to secure the panel in the closed position but which can be easily reached from the cockpit area to release the panel quickly for access to the interior of the storage unit in the event of an emergency. Hand holds are disposed on the longitudinal and lateral edges of the safety storage unit for ease of handling the storage unit and for securing the safety storage system to a marine craft. In the preferred embodiment, the storage unit is attached to fore and aft support rods of the cockpit cover and underlies the inner face of the cockpit cover for overhead storage of life jackets and the like. The safety storage unit of the invention serves as an off-boat flotation device by the insertion of a flotation component in the interior of the storage unit, such as a closed cell foam sheet, an inflatable bladder or the like, to provide buoyancy for the safety storage system making it suitable for use as a flotation device in the event of an emergency.
The present invention provides a safety storage system for life jackets and other bulky items which may be difficult to properly store. The multipurpose marine safety storage system is particularly suited for overhead storage and can be used with any type of cockpit cover, including bimini tops of various designs. The safety storage system of the invention is additionally adapted for the storage of miscellaneous smaller items so that the cockpit area is clear and the life jackets as well as the miscellaneous items are readily assessable and organized. The safety storage system of the invention is adapted to be mounted on the underside of the cockpit cover so that its facing surface is exposed to the cockpit area and its rear surface is contiguous with the undersurface of the cockpit cover.